United in Diversity

The European Union stands for diversity, respect and tolerance. Although we hold these values to be self-evident, the rise of nationalism all across Europe over the previous years has shown
that we must never take them for granted: peace, stability and prosperity are the final consequence of intercultural understanding, a European core competence that needs to be
acquired in school. As a result, we saw it as our duty as teachers to design a project that aims recognizing diversity and promoting interaction between people from different origins.

In this school exchange project the partner schools in Catalonia, the Basque Country, Andalusia, Brittany and Styria, are located in regions rich in cultural heritage: linguistic varieties, history, art,
dance, music, food and social values. We wanted our students, aged 14-17, to encounter the variety of these regions’ local traditions and cultural habits. Learning about them is essential, but
to experience them in reality promoted the development of a European identity: during the mutual exchange students found out similarities and disparities among them. The discovered
that cultural traits and differences contribute to a colorful, enriching and diverse European society, while joint values and shared opinions and common interests make it cohesive and
strong.

Read the full report on this project: United in Diversity